The proposal requests partial support for the planning and organization of the International Symposium on Mass Spectrometry in the Health and Life Sciences to be held September 9-13, 1984, at the Sheraton Palace Hotel, San Francisco, CA. The aim of this conference is to bring together those scientists who have taken advantage of the capabilities of mass spectrometry to address key scientific questions in their respective disciplines, and those scientists who are leading the methodological instrumentation revolution which has opened up entirely new vistas for study of molecular composition in biology. It is intended to clarify the scope and types of problems in health and life sciences which these innovative, revolutionary approaches in mass spectrometry can address most appropriately. It is intended to cross-fertilize the existing and potential biological user and the present technique innovator and developer, and to catalyze the symbiosis which will help to promote the development of mass spectrometry in directions most useful to the life and health scientists. It is intended to provide a coherent theme of the life and biological sciences at the molecular identification level. Since there will be not parallel sessions, there will be ample opportunity for experts in a variety of disciplines to share ideas through formal presentation and discussion. Two hundred fifty to three hundred participants are expected in addition to thirty plenary lecturers and invited speakers. The audience will include participants from all disciplines in the life and health sciences in which molecular identification and quantification provide the lowest chemical common denominator in the scientific quest for the understanding of living systems. Representatives from the diverse disciplines in the life and health sciences will be complemented by experts in the techniques of utilization of mass spectrometry in these diverse problem areas. These will include experts at the forefront in the development of new physical, instrumental and computer techniques which are necessary for the advance of the entire field. In addition, graduate students working in a variety of research areas, as well as newcomers to the field will be part of the participating audience. Proceedings of the symposium will be published within several months of the meeting.